Posts Tagged ‘Hell’s Angels’

As we continue breaking down poker’s public image, we have to look at why that image is better today than it was 20, 30, or more years ago. The reason is largely credited to the fact that poker has joined the ranks of the sporting world covered by ESPN. This four-letter acronym might as well be a four-letter word followed by an exclamation point for the vital role it has played. The cable giant that began as a quirky basketball satellite channel in the late 70s before most people knew what cable was, let alone satellite dish technology, now holds the Midas touch for legitimizing any activity that can be considered under the broadest sense of the word ‘sport’.

ESPN’s coverage of the 2003 World Series of Poker showed the world that poker was not just something to do in smoky casino card rooms. ‘Lipstick’ cameras were used to show the hole cards which piqued the interest of viewers who now watched, with inside information, as each hand with all its strategy played out. The game itself, Texas Hold ‘Em, was new to most viewers and further engaged the new audience who took on the challenge of learning about blinds, flops, turns, and rivers with less concern of negative social stigmas now that this game was on prime time TV. Viewers could also associate with amateur winners like online gamer Chris Moneymaker who showed us, as he raked in a massive amount of poker chips, that you could strike it rich with a relatively small investment. ESPN expanded poker’s popularity beyond the casino into home game rooms and drew in couples as well, which broke through the traditional guys card night for couples now seeking to host tournaments and cash games with friends, neighbors, coworkers, and charitable foundations. Commercials for online poker sites aired during WSOP broadcasts further fueled the budding online poker phenomenon.

Admittedly poker, and in particular Texas Hold ‘Em, was becoming more popular before ESPN made its big splash, as evidenced on the big screen with the 1998 hit Rounders. However, ESPN changed poker in a very fundamental way. Just as Harley Davidson expanded its market beyond Hell’s Angels biker gangs to working stiffs who wanted to pretend to be bad boys and girls on the weekends, ESPN made poker cool and accessible to everyone. At the height of the ESPN-sparked poker renaissance was the 2006 update of the James Bond classic Casino Royale which supplanted the original game of baccarat with Texas Hold ‘Em in what has become the consummate positive poker image still referenced today.

So with these recent positive events in poker’s history, why do some still seek to vilify it? Find out next as we explore what makes America different from the rest of the poker world.